PICKS OF THE WEEK: 13-19 OCTOBER, WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK

Our picks of what to watch during the week ahead.

HUNTED

Sunday-Monday, Channel 4

14 ordinary people from all over the UK have turned fugitive. If they can successfully outrun the elite team of hunters for 21 days, they will win a share of £100,000. On the run across the length and breadth of the UK, these fugitives will be looking over their shoulders, ever fearful that the hunters have picked up their trail. 

Leading the investigation from Hunted HQ is former Detective Superintendent of the Thames Valley Police, Ray Howard. Ray has led many complex investigations. Now he oversees a handpicked team of top police, military personnel and cyber security experts, armed with the powers of the state which includes CCTV, ANPR, Facial Recognition technology, helicopters, surveillance drones, tracker dogs and mobile phone monitoring.

 PETE WICKS: FOR DOGS' SAKE

Monday, U&W

After a life-changing summer at Dogs Trust Basildon in 2024, Pete Wicks is back with the charity for a brand-new second series. This time he’s spending months alongside the teams at rehoming centres across the UK, doing whatever he can to help more dogs find their forever homes.

Pete experiences the highs and lows of life at Dogs Trust, from helping traumatised strays learn to trust again, to caring for endless litters of puppies in need and supporting the recovery of sick and injured dogs. And at the heart of it are the uplifting moments when these dogs finally find the loving homes they so deserve.

 WITCHES OF ESSEX

Tuesday, Sky History

The series sees Essex resident Rylan Clark team up with Professor Alice Roberts to investigate one of the darkest, most harrowing chapters in British history: the state-sanctioned murder of hundreds of innocent women on charges of witchcraft.  

Focusing on three notorious witch trials which took place in Essex during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, each episode sees Rylan and Alice re-open a cold case investigation to discover the reasons for the victimisation and persecution of these women in England.

 THE IRIS AFFAIR

Thursday, Sky Atlantic

When enigmatic genius Iris Nixon (Niamh Algar) cracks a string of complex online puzzles, she’s led to a piazza in Florence, where she meets charismatic entrepreneur Cameron Beck (Tom Hollander). He invites her to work with him to unlock a powerful and top-secret piece of technology. Her curiosity piqued, she accepts.

But when Iris discovers its dangerous potential, she steals the journal containing the device’s activation sequence—and vanishes. What follows is a relentless pursuit, from a remote cabin in Sardinia to the bustling streets of Rome, as Cameron races to find Iris in a high-stakes game where trust is dangerous and failure could be catastrophic.

 THE LAST LEG

Friday, Channel 4

Returning to our screens on Friday nights, the newepisode series sees Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker reunite with their honest, upbeat and award-winning brand of satirical comedy.

As ever, the hashtag isitok will pave the way for the gang to round up, examine and explain the leading and most entertaining news stories via their acerbic wit, enlightening discussions and unique sketches. Each week, a live audience and big named guests from the worlds of comedy, entertainment and politics will join them to help dissect the week’s events and talking points.

 CHAMPIONS: FULL GALLOP

Friday, ITV1

Following the dramatic highs and lows of the jumps jockeys, the second series will go behind the scenes of the jumps season – including the battle for the £500,000 David Power Jockeys’ Cup – capturing the intense drama like never seen before.

With the stakes as high as ever, millions of pounds up for grabs and jockey’s reputations on the line, the series will follow every twist and turn of the jumps season. The programme provides viewers with an access all areas backstage pass to the biggest events in the racing year, including the iconic Cheltenham Festival and the famous Randox Grand National.

 LEONARD AND HUNGRY PAUL

Friday, BBC iPlayer

Leonard and Hungry Paul follows two board-gaming friends in their thirties. Leonard, a ghost writer of children’s encyclopaedias, and Hungry Paul, a part-time postal worker who still lives at home, who meander through leafy suburban life finding solace in their quiet routines.

The unexpected death of Leonard’s mother, the approaching wedding of Hungry Paul’s sister and a tentative new romance for Leonard, prompts both men to meet a world that is suddenly wider and full of unfamiliar possibilities.